Question

What products will most likely be observed in a combustion reaction?

Answer 1

Oxides, and water (and water is an oxide of hydrogen).

Explanation:

Typically we combust hydrocarbons; certainly, we do so in order to make our goggomobiles go.

If we represent petrol or diesel as hexanes:

`C_6H_14(l) + 19/2O_2(g) rarr 6CO_2(g) + 7H_2O(l)`

Of course combustion is never complete in an internal combustion engine; some products of incomplete combustion result, i.e. `CO` and particulate `C`.

`C_6H_14(l) + 8O_2(g) rarr 4CO_2(g) + C(s) + CO(g) + 7H_2O(l)`

Are mass and charge conserved in these reactions? If not, they should be!